Questionable practices like the provision of free meals during virtual schooling to the influence of powerful teachers' unions, the narrative unveils systemic issues with public “education.”
Great essay with good information. You brought back many memories. How education has changed. Grade school we had mostly nuns. High school more secular. They all were deeply dedicated to our learning. In high school, some of my favorite books I read were part of a semester reading list our Social Studies teacher would assign. There were many to choose from. "The Hobbit", "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair just two. One week during the year, the teachers would teach classes of other things they knew. One year I took a meditation class from teacher who was a nun.
Out here during the plandemic, school buses still did their routes AND BROUGHT THE LUNCHES TO KIDS WAITING AT THE BUS STOP! The local school districts are beginning the slide into woke. Disheartening.
While I was born in the Dallas TX area my wife grew up on a farm in Iowa. She graduated from Luther College and received numerous offers to become a public school teacher in large US cities. Fortunately for me, she chose Dallas. Upon her arrival for orientation for her first year as an elementary teacher in the DISD she was informed her first assignment would be one of the toughest inner city schools in our area. What a great first assignment for a blonde-haired Norwegian farm girl from the Midwest. The results were predictable. After a couple of years of trying her best to make a difference, she gave up in frustration and depression. And this was over 30 years ago. I could not imagine someone trying that today in that same school.
My main welfare recipient gripe: The food industry.
The food industry rakes in massive profits for selling substandard junk to the school system. No one cooks it. They unwrap it. This food makes the kids and teachers sick and unhealthy -- check out Fred's links until you see the teachers! No wonder they're losing their minds.
Decades ago, I tutored a few kids in the inner city. One day, the kids' mom wanted to share some food with me. She had a huge block of government "cheese" that she toasted. Whatever that stuff was, it wasn't dairy. I felt sick afterwards. Now the SNAP program has expanded to tastier junk food. What a mess.
I visited China on an official project, but then I took a chunk of vacation time. Whenever I visited a university, high school, or elementary school, they always invited me for lunch at the cafeteria. At Chinese school cafeterias, real cooks make real food: A starch, a meat, and a vegetable. The cost was very, very low, even for China. The equivalent of a $1 lunch in the US. The meals were always tasty, filling, and left me feeling good. If China can do it cheaply, why can't the US? Ah, the food industry...
Speaking of schools, I followed your links to see the "woke math" teacher. She is talking about teaching 3rd year high school students about base ten. Our kid learned that in Montessori school at age five.
If you visit the CDC, check out their museum. You'll see the government's promotion of different industries such as wheat, corn, and dairy. No wonder my mother thought cottage cheese was as nutritious as meat, they advertised it as such during WWI and WWII!! My sister got rickets.
Your posts always bring back so many memories. I try to tell young people that there is nothing new, we have seen this corruption before, it just comes back stronger and worse.
We had 35 per class for HS. A Public Vocational-Technical school. 350 pupils per semester. All four years. It was my first introduction to a cafeteria. We were too poor for more than the 5 cents for a carton of Whole Milk. My brown bag had a sandwich. Mom soon learned not to send peanut butter with butter. I ate OM Blogana daily. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal or toast. Supper what mom cooked. Didn't like it, didn't eat it, she cooked for each of us four and Dad. That meant multiple 'favorites'. Which I think came from her being brought up at the tail end of the Great Depression. Neither of my parents had more than an 8th-grade education. I'm the only one to graduate. 150th out of 350.
I took Secretarial courses, which included, English, Math, Civics, Government, US, and World History. I was a short, chubby girl. with strict parents. No make-up or dating until 16. As the eldest I had chores, and the other three were younger. I thought I had a decent education. Boy was I wrong. It was classic for the 1962-66 time.
I've always have been a bookworm. Now I'm learning even those books were Lies.
Today, welfare kids get breakfast, lunch, supper, weekend food, and summer food, despite their parents getting SNAP for them. They get school supplies too. 20 per class is too many for a teacher to handle, she/he needs an Assistant. Now they want free college and a free first house. College, now House. Majority Of Gen Z and Millennials Expect Parents To Help With Homeownership.
Great essay with good information. You brought back many memories. How education has changed. Grade school we had mostly nuns. High school more secular. They all were deeply dedicated to our learning. In high school, some of my favorite books I read were part of a semester reading list our Social Studies teacher would assign. There were many to choose from. "The Hobbit", "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair just two. One week during the year, the teachers would teach classes of other things they knew. One year I took a meditation class from teacher who was a nun.
Out here during the plandemic, school buses still did their routes AND BROUGHT THE LUNCHES TO KIDS WAITING AT THE BUS STOP! The local school districts are beginning the slide into woke. Disheartening.
While I was born in the Dallas TX area my wife grew up on a farm in Iowa. She graduated from Luther College and received numerous offers to become a public school teacher in large US cities. Fortunately for me, she chose Dallas. Upon her arrival for orientation for her first year as an elementary teacher in the DISD she was informed her first assignment would be one of the toughest inner city schools in our area. What a great first assignment for a blonde-haired Norwegian farm girl from the Midwest. The results were predictable. After a couple of years of trying her best to make a difference, she gave up in frustration and depression. And this was over 30 years ago. I could not imagine someone trying that today in that same school.
This is a gem! As always.
My main welfare recipient gripe: The food industry.
The food industry rakes in massive profits for selling substandard junk to the school system. No one cooks it. They unwrap it. This food makes the kids and teachers sick and unhealthy -- check out Fred's links until you see the teachers! No wonder they're losing their minds.
Decades ago, I tutored a few kids in the inner city. One day, the kids' mom wanted to share some food with me. She had a huge block of government "cheese" that she toasted. Whatever that stuff was, it wasn't dairy. I felt sick afterwards. Now the SNAP program has expanded to tastier junk food. What a mess.
I visited China on an official project, but then I took a chunk of vacation time. Whenever I visited a university, high school, or elementary school, they always invited me for lunch at the cafeteria. At Chinese school cafeterias, real cooks make real food: A starch, a meat, and a vegetable. The cost was very, very low, even for China. The equivalent of a $1 lunch in the US. The meals were always tasty, filling, and left me feeling good. If China can do it cheaply, why can't the US? Ah, the food industry...
Speaking of schools, I followed your links to see the "woke math" teacher. She is talking about teaching 3rd year high school students about base ten. Our kid learned that in Montessori school at age five.
If you visit the CDC, check out their museum. You'll see the government's promotion of different industries such as wheat, corn, and dairy. No wonder my mother thought cottage cheese was as nutritious as meat, they advertised it as such during WWI and WWII!! My sister got rickets.
Your posts always bring back so many memories. I try to tell young people that there is nothing new, we have seen this corruption before, it just comes back stronger and worse.
Great as always Fred.
We had 35 per class for HS. A Public Vocational-Technical school. 350 pupils per semester. All four years. It was my first introduction to a cafeteria. We were too poor for more than the 5 cents for a carton of Whole Milk. My brown bag had a sandwich. Mom soon learned not to send peanut butter with butter. I ate OM Blogana daily. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal or toast. Supper what mom cooked. Didn't like it, didn't eat it, she cooked for each of us four and Dad. That meant multiple 'favorites'. Which I think came from her being brought up at the tail end of the Great Depression. Neither of my parents had more than an 8th-grade education. I'm the only one to graduate. 150th out of 350.
I took Secretarial courses, which included, English, Math, Civics, Government, US, and World History. I was a short, chubby girl. with strict parents. No make-up or dating until 16. As the eldest I had chores, and the other three were younger. I thought I had a decent education. Boy was I wrong. It was classic for the 1962-66 time.
I've always have been a bookworm. Now I'm learning even those books were Lies.
Today, welfare kids get breakfast, lunch, supper, weekend food, and summer food, despite their parents getting SNAP for them. They get school supplies too. 20 per class is too many for a teacher to handle, she/he needs an Assistant. Now they want free college and a free first house. College, now House. Majority Of Gen Z and Millennials Expect Parents To Help With Homeownership.
Which means the Taxpayer in the end.
https://fortune.com/2024/03/27/housing-market-nepotism-down-payment-parents-help-gen-z-millennials/#:~:text=More%20than%20a%20third%20of%20millennials%20and%20Gen%20Zers%20who,to%20a%20Redfin%2Dcommissioned%20survey.